The Tour of Magnificent Qinghai started in the best possible way for Polti-VisitMalta, especially thanks to Manuel Peñalver, who gifted the Italian team their first victory of the season in the opening stage in Xining.

Following the Spanish sprinter's breakthrough was Javier Serrano's 5th place in Huzhu, a placement that allowed the team of Basso and Contador to score UCI points for the second consecutive day - a fact that, considering the current 2025 team ranking situation, is by no means insignificant.

We discussed this, the pursuit of a place in the top 30 of the world ranking, as well as the resulting pressures and the direction the Chinese stage race is taking, with sports director Jesus Hernandez, who is currently managing the Italian team in Asia.

Jesus, what does this victory in the first stage mean for a rider like Manuel, and what satisfaction was it for you?

"The Xining stage was a wonderful day for the entire team, because obviously we got the first victory of the season, which is always beautiful, but especially for him, as he's a rider who always gives everything for his teammates. It's no coincidence that everyone was happy after the stage, both those here in China and those who weren't. Last year in Malaysia he missed a victory due to an error in the final sprint, while the other day he finally managed to get a success he had long deserved."

What can we expect from the team in the upcoming stages after the success in the opening stage?

"Winning allows us to be more relaxed and race with more confidence, so whatever we achieve from here on will be a bonus. We don't exactly know what to expect because this is the first time we're competing in this race and racing at these altitudes. We prepared well by going to high altitude before coming here, so we hope to do well in the coming days, but we have no certainties about how the team will perform - we'll see day by day. The leaders for the most challenging stages? We start with Crescioli as the team's reference climber, but Mattia Bais and Diego Sevilla are two riders who are good at climbing. The point is that here it's not so much the gradient that makes the difference, but the altitude, so it can happen that a rider who isn't a pure climber but has adapted better might do better than a pure climber who hasn't adapted well."

The UCI points system has been at the center of many debates and criticisms in recent months. How do you see it, being directly involved in the fight to remain in the top 30 of the ranking?

"We can only adapt as best as possible to the UCI rules, which are what they are, and we must adhere to them. Whether we'll finish in the top 30 or not, we'll only know at the end of the season, so I won't speculate."

This system that leads riders to race continuously, engaging them in successive trips, doesn't create problems for the riders by adding further pressure?

"Specifically regarding the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai, we had this planned regardless of the points situation. In general, I don't sincerely believe this has changed things much because riders have always had a certain pressure... maybe before it was to get results, now to earn points, but certainly pressure has never been lacking. After all, if you're a rider, you must be able to live with pressure."

Photo credit: Maurizio Borserini.